


The Cold of the Sea

by EverettVargas (EverettV)



Series: Hetalia Rare Pair Week 2017 [3]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Human, Cussing, Fluff, Homophobia, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-26
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-09-20 01:09:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9468704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EverettV/pseuds/EverettVargas
Summary: Halfway through dinner, Feliciano notices Alfred making faces at him and has to stifle a giggle behind one of his hands. He shakes his head at Alfred, trying to get him to stop before he chokes on his dinner. Alfred doesn’t stop, so Feliciano retaliates by making faces in return, causing Alfred to actually choke on his dinner and Arthur to smack his back until he can breath again.





	

Alfred dashes to the front of his ship, smiling brightly. He leans over the edge of the boat and looks down into the ocean. “Wow! It’s so clear!” He says happily. Alfred stands up straighter and glances back at his older brother who scoffs at him. 

“If you’re going to be on a ship to America, a luxury ship at that, you need to control yourself.” Arthur scolds, sniffing softly at his little brother’s actions. “Honestly, when Mum and Dad bought this trip for us to visit them, I think they would have assumed that you’d act more like an adult.” Arthur starts for the inside again, the outside air being quite cold. 

Alfred sighs softly and looks out over the water. It was going to take several days for them to reach America at the rate they’re going, and though he quite enjoyed living there when he was younger, he isn’t really looking forward to being cooped up for that long. His eyes linger on the ocean, loving the way it looks, before he turns. He immediately crashes into someone else, sending them sprawling to the ground. Alfred gasps and helps him up. 

“I am so sorry!” He says, brushing the dirt off of the other person’s shirt. Feliciano giggles and grabs his hands. 

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. It was just as much my fault as it was yours.” Feliciano responds and let’s go, smiling brightly. His eyes glitter in amusement and Alfred finds himself staring at the golden colour. 

“Oh… Okay.” Alfred licks his lips and tears his gaze away. “Your accent is strange, where are you from? I was born in America and then taken to England when I was young. Now I’m headed back because my parents live there and wanted a visit.” He smiles softly. Feliciano nods as he listens. 

“I’m from Italy but was taken to England. I was adopted because my parents died and my grandfather didn’t have the means to take care of me.” Feliciano tilts his head a bit. “I’m going to America because I found out where my brother ended up. My parents paid for me to get a first class ticket, and I’m really excited. This is the prettiest ship I’ve ever been on!” He hums. Alfred nods. 

“Oh my parents paid for first class too. So I guess I’ll see you in the dinner room, right?” He asks gently. Feliciano nods excitedly then checks his pocket watch. He frowns slightly at it then shrugs. 

“I have to go. I will sit with you in dining, alright?” Feliciano gives another easy smile then goes to his room. He sits down in his room and starts to write another letter that he is to send as soon as he lands in New York. He smiles and tucks it into an envelope before laying back on his bed and closing his eyes. He’s heard about the many things offered by the staff that allowed them to have fun while they are on the ship, but he doesn’t want to do any of it. He’s scared of sailing and the ocean. Feliciano covers his face with his arm and sobs softly, wishing that he didn’t have to do any of this. He misses Lovino so much, though. 

Alfred smiles at Feliciano, running a hand through his hair. His unintentionally drags his eyes over the entirety of the Italian’s form before he disappears behind a corner. Alfred dashes inside to where his brother is reading, tossing himself into a chair beside Arthur. “You know what? I think that this ride might not actually be that horrible.” 

Arthur raises an eyebrow at the sudden change in attitude. “Oh yeah? And what changed, hm? It’s only been, what, half an hour?” He doesn’t listen to Alfred’s response, just checks his pocket watch. “Supper will be served in a couple hours. Keep yourself busy but remember to wash up and change into something nice by then.” 

And Alfred remembers to. He adjusts his tie nervously, heading into the dining room. He looks around, meeting the warm golden ones of his new found friend from across the room. The blond smiles brightly and dashes over to him, pulling him into a hard hug. Feliciano blushes and hugs him, smiling a bit. Feliciano lets go before anyone can noticed that it was too long. He follows Alfred over to where Arthur is sitting. 

“Artie! This is my new friend… Um…” Alfred looks at Feliciano, who laughs softly. 

“My name is Feliciano. You are… Arthur I’m guessing?” He holds his hand out and politely shakes the Brit’s hand before sitting beside him. “Don’t you just think that this ship is absolutely marvelous? Nothing wrong with travelling in style.” Feliciano hides his smile behind a hand, looking up when a waiter pours them all flutes of champagne. Feliciano delicately picks his up and takes a sip. 

Arthur is shocked for a moment before nodding. He shakes Feliciano’s hand and smiles in response. “Really now, Alfred, making friends without even asking for names. Especially from such a charming young man. I do agree, the ship is absolutely marvelous.” Arthur thanks the waiter and glances at the bubbling substance before returning his gaze to Feliciano. “Do forgive my brother. He was raised under different expectations than I was, and he is quite a bit… Er… Shall we say reckless?” He smiles. Feliciano giggles and turns his gaze to Alfred. 

“It’s okay. I find that I quite enjoy to live life more recklessly than most.” Feliciano responds, eyes glittering again. He just has to pretend to like being on the ship when he’s around other people, no matter how much his stomach is churning. Alfred frowns at Arthur then smiles brightly at Feliciano again. 

“Don’t worry, Arthur is just being a prick.” Alfred responds and smirks at his brother’s indignant huff. Arthur watches Feliciano and Alfred talking, watches the way their eyes sparkle as they bond and looks down at down at his dish. That night, before they retire, he grasps Feliciano’s arm. 

“You would do well not to fall in love with Alfred. I do not care, but there are others on this ship who would look down upon it. It’s unwise to show those affections in public.” Arthur says quietly. Feliciano pauses, pulling his arm out of Arthur’s grip with a nod. “Please heed my warning. I would hate for something to happen to Alfred because of this. After this journey, don’t speak to him again.” 

Feliciano watches Arthur go, eyes flat gold. “I hear you.” He whispers. “But isn’t that up to Alfred and I, not you?” He asks coldly. “Do the world a favour, let him make his own decisions if you want him to act like an adult.” He walks away and heads to his room. The next day, despite being angry at what Arthur said, he avoids Alfred like the plague. He knows Arthur is right, and he also doesn’t want to get hurt before he can reunite with his brother. Midway through the third day on the ship, he comes to realize that avoiding Alfred is a little harder than expected. Alfred looks down at him with fierce eyes. 

“Why have you been avoiding me? Did Arthur say something to you? Because it’s bullshit.” Alfred walks into Feliciano’s room. The Italian smiles in amusement and closes the door behind him, shaking his head a bit. 

“You’re supposed to be invited in, silly.” He teases and leans against his door. Alfred turns to him and pouts. “I was trying… I was trying to stay away from you before I developed unhealthy feelings. Too late…” He gives a sad smile. “Arthur warned me not to fall for you, but you were just so much fun to talk to and I did it anyway…” Feliciano blushes lightly and moves so Alfred could leave if he wants. Alfred pauses and stares at Feliciano. 

“You fell in love… In such a short amount of time?” Alfred asks. He blushes a bit. “Doesn’t that only happen in fairytales and shitty Shakespeare plays?” He runs a hand through his hair slowly and pulls Feliciano into a hug. “I don’t feel the same way, but I do have a crush on you.” He whispers, tilting Feliciano’s head up and kissing him lightly on the lips. Feliciano is stunned for a moment but kisses back, gently holding the front of his shirt. 

They lay in the bed together, Feliciano’s head resting on Alfred’s chest. He talks about nothing and everything all at once while Alfred listens. He runs his fingers through Feliciano’s hair and stares at the ceiling, a content smile on his lips. He never imagined that he would find someone like him, especially not on a ship. He’s shocked that Arthur saw before he did. Feliciano gets up at dinner time, sighing. 

“We musn’t do this again until tomorrow. Meet me after supper. That would be around ten pm.” Feliciano opens his watch and then smiles a bit, nodding. “So, we have to stay away from each other tomorrow. Especially around your brother.” Feliciano runs a hand through his hair and starts to clean himself up for dinner, adjusting his tie. He notices Alfred leave, and then goes up to the dining room. He makes a point of sitting nearby, but not close to Alfred. They can see each other from across the tables. 

Halfway through dinner, Feliciano notices Alfred making faces at him and has to stifle a giggle behind one of his hands. He shakes his head at Alfred, trying to get him to stop before he chokes on his dinner. Alfred doesn’t stop, so Feliciano retaliates by making faces in return, causing Alfred to actually choke on his dinner and Arthur to smack his back until he can breath again. 

Feliciano laughs loudly in response to that, drawing attention to himself. He waves away the eyes and finishes his food. That night, Feliciano is out on the freezing deck wrapped in a blanket and looking up at the stars. He looks back when someone opens a door nearby, sighing softly. “Hey, Alfie.” He murmurs, looking back up at the sky. “This isn’t fair.” He whispers. Alfred hugs him softly from behind and shakes his head, kissing his cheek. 

“It’s okay, Feli. We’ll get a small house wherever we decide to live and we’ll get a small house. We’ll live there together and no one will ever know.” Alfred whispers in his ear, an empty pipe dream. Feliciano nods along, like he understands the whole thing. They stand together like that, neither really knowing just how long, but giving in and returning to their rooms when their lips turn blue. 

Feliciano spends the next day sketching people and giving them away, a smile on his lips. He absolutely loves to draw. Arthur gets him to draw himself and Alfred, and Feliciano gladly does so. He hands over the sketch when he’s done with a brilliant smile. At lunch Feliciano does it again, this time only drawing Alfred. He wants to have something that he can remember Alfred by when they leave. He’s certain he will never see Alfred after their time on the ship together. 

After lunch Feliciano plays cards with a few strangers, smoking as he does so. He enjoys it quite a bit, though the cigarettes choked him a bit at first. He loses some of his money in the game but can’t bring himself to care very much. Feliciano finds himself on the desk watching the water again after he’s done, stomach churning at the rough waves. “How much longer?” He whispers to himself. 

Dinner is uneventful, in Feliciano’s opinion. He’s glad for the big events distracting everyone when Alfred slips into his room that night. Alfred smiles at Feliciano, locking the door and pulling him close, nuzzling into his hair. Feliciano relaxes against him, closing his eyes. This time, Alfred talks about nothing and everything at once. Feliciano is glad to hear all about Alfred. 

Panicked screams from outside the door causes Feliciano to burst into the hallway and head onto the deck to find out what’s happening. He turns to Alfred, who had followed him closely, and takes a few deep breaths to calm himself. “The ship hit an iceberg. It’s sinking.” He whispers. Alfred holds Feliciano’s arms tightly and looks toward where they are loading the lifeboats up. 

“I’ll see if we can get on those. Wait here.” He whispers, heading over to the officer helping load it up. Alfred returns a few moments later. “They want women and children first, then we can get on.” He assures Feliciano. “They want us to put on our life jackets from our rooms and wait either in there or the lounge until some room opens up.” He smiles comfortingly. Feliciano nods and gets his jacket on. Both wait in Feliciano’s room. By the time the water reaches them, both realize there’s no hope left for them. 

Alfred presses his lips to Feliciano’s softly and strokes his hair. “This… This was fun, Feliciano. I’m sorry you didn’t get to see your brother again.” He whispers. Feliciano closes his eyes and shakes his head. 

“I knew it was too good to be true.” Feliciano responds softly. Alfred sighs and holds his hands tightly. “I think… That this is going to be horribly cold and painful.” Feliciano whispers, burying his face in Alfred’s chest. Alfred stands up, pulling Feliciano with him and out to the deck. The ship is on it’s end and sinking quickly. 

“Maybe… Maybe if we jump in the water… Maybe we’ll make it until they can rescue us.” He says. Feliciano finds himself listening. Alfred grips his hand tightly. “We’re going to sink with the ship. Be prepared. When we hit the water, it’s going to be cold.” He whispers. Feliciano nods. They sink in, and Feliciano feels his breath stop at the freezing sensation. Several minutes go with them grasping each other and shivering, bodies too cold. The only thing keeping either of them afloat being their life jackets. By the time help arrives, it much too late for either of them.

**Author's Note:**

> Day 3: Ameita, gold


End file.
